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Chilean striker Mancilla's title joy turns to World Cup despair

SANTIAGO (AFP) - Chilean striker Hector Mancilla's joy at winning the Mexican league title with Toluca on Sunday turned to World Cup heartbreak on Monday when he was informed he had been cut from the World Cup finals squad by coach Marcelo Bielsa.

Mancilla said he had been told by Bielsa - who coached Argentina at the 2002 World Cup finals and to the 2004 Olympic gold medal - that he had been left out for footballing reasons leaving the coach with just one more player to cut before finalising his 23-man squad .

The striker had complained recently of being left out of the loop with regard to whether he was going to South Africa for the finals, which run from June 11 to July 11.

Chile are in Group H along with Honduras, Switzerland and European champions Spain.